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The Action
The group worked closely with Anna Furlong who is a local hairdresser in the town of New Ross. Anna is also the founder of a local charity ‘The Rapunzel Foundation’ which is a voluntary organisation set up to help improve the life of alopecia sufferers. The group welcomed Anna into their school where she educated the students about alopecia and the foundation. She explained all the fantastic work they do and how they have managed to change so many lives. The group broadened their knowledge by attending the first ever Rapunzel Foundation conference in Dublin in October in the Wella Academy.
The group were so successful in their fundraising throughout the year that they were awarded the YSI Fun-raising Award at the Annual Showcase in May 2014. They achieved this by hosting a ‘Take Me Out ‘fundraising night, a school bake sale and organising a ‘Bow Day’ where everyone in their school wore a blue bow in their hair and bought jars of sweets. Not only did these events raise money but they raised awareness on the topic too. They are currently working with a little girl called Keeva, who has alopecia and would like a wig for her communion.
Along with the Rapunzel Foundation the team worked with many other external partners including the local schools, local businesses, the Brandon House Hotel, people who suffer from alopecia, the local newspapers, the local primary schools, hairdressers and local and national Radio stations.They also visited the YSI Den in Dublin where they were awarded funding and mentorship.
To raise more awareness nationally and to encourage people to donate their hair, the team have created a documentary inspired by the stories they heard throughout the year from alopecia sufferers and how their lives were improved when they received help and support. This documentary has been shared to a wide audience through social media and in schools across the south east.
